Michael, Maria, Carradine and Christmas
by ArchAngel1973
Summary: Post-Graduation. A few years after leaving Roswell, Michael and Maria try to spend a familial Christmas.
1. Chapter 1

**Part 1**

The scent of baking cookies wafted through the air and as the front door opened Christmas music could be heard playing on the stereo in the living room. The apartment was warm and cozy, and it had been their home for nearly a year. It was the longest they had stayed in any one place since leaving Roswell several years earlier, running from government agents bent on capturing them for study followed by extermination. The place looked like a hurricane had blown through while he had been away at work and as he turned to hang his coat up the woman responsible for the mess suddenly appeared and threw her arms around his neck.

Michael Guerin aimed for the coat rack three times before giving up and dropping his coat on the floor in favor of wrapping his arms around his wife and kissing her thoroughly. He had only been away for a little over eight hours but it felt like it had been days since he had last held her and kissed her. He leaned back and reached up to wipe the flour smudged across her right cheek as he smirked at her.

"Looks like you've been busy," he said with a nod towards the mess behind him.

"Carey and I were moving things around and trying to decide where the tree should go." Maria changed the subject in hopes of distracting him from that topic. "Dinner will be ready soon."

"Uh-huh, you don't need to be movin' furniture around by yourself; I told you I'd get to it this weekend."

She laughed and shook her head. "I am perfectly capable of moving the living room furniture, Michael, and you've got a busy weekend ahead of you, so you should be thanking me."

He opened his mouth to protest but paused when a rousing rendition of _Jingle Bells_ started to play and he groaned. "You were supposed to lose that damn CD, Maria." He cringed when the high-pitched voices of Alvin and the Chipmunks began to sing along with the music and moments later another voice joined them, singing loudly and off-key.

"The words are repetitive and it's the only song he knows."

"Daddy!"

Maria bit the inside of her cheek to keep her expression under control when their four-year-old entered the room and realized Michael was home.

"He's learnin' a new song this weekend; that's priority number one," he growled, leaning down to scoop the little boy up in his arms just before he collided with Michael's legs. "What'd you do today, little man?"

Maria bent over to pick up Michael's coat from the floor, holding it in her arms as she turned around to watch her husband and son discuss the days' events. She wondered what her mother would say if she could see them; Amy had liked Michael and he had proven himself to her, but they had left without a word and she had no idea what the woman really thought about him now.

Her mother knew that they were married now and that she had a grandchild, knowledge that had been shared courtesy of Isabel and her abilities on the dream plane, but Amy had never met Carradine. There was still too much at stake and they couldn't risk contact with anyone in Roswell. Even now, after more than a year without any sign that they were being followed they still kept more than a thousand miles between them and the others in the group. There had been too many close calls and they were all wary of doing anything that might put them at risk again.

A wave of homesickness and sadness washed over her as her thoughts shifted to her mother and she wondered what she was doing for Christmas this year.

Michael glanced up from the colored picture his son was showing him when he felt the prickling sensation at the back of his neck that warned him when something wasn't right with Maria. He patted the boy on the head and told him to color another picture as he stood up.

"Mama's sad?"

He looked down at Carradine, amazed once again at his little boy's perceptive abilities. "She just misses Grandma, buddy. I'll be right back."

"'Kay, Daddy." He watched his parents as they talked quietly for several minutes and then shrugged to himself and went back to his coloring book when they hugged. They did that a lot and that meant that everything was gonna be okay. He frowned down at the blue crayon in his hand when he pressed too hard and the tip broke off. He stared at it for a while before he smiled and ran his left index finger over it so that it formed a new point.

"What're you doin'?" Michael asked as he sat down on the couch, his long legs bracketing his son's body where he was sitting on the floor in front of the coffee table.

"It was broked," Carradine said, turning to meet his father's gaze. "It's jus' you an Mama."

The boy looked just like him and he easily recognized the defiant look in the dark brown eyes Carradine had inherited from him. His features and wild hair weren't the only things the boy had inherited; he also had some of his father's alien abilities, but so far they had been able to keep them in check. As soon as he had exhibited his abilities, Michael and Maria had decided that they weren't going to try to gloss it over or try to pretend that they didn't exist. He hadn't had anyone to teach him how to use his powers when he was growing up and as a result he'd had very poor control over them as he had gotten older.

The knowledge that their abilities needed to be kept secret seemed to be ingrained into the boy's genetic memory and they didn't know if that was intentional or a by-product of his hybrid genes, but so far he had shown a clear understanding of the necessity for secrecy. He was still too young to master things that were very complicated, but he had obviously learned something new because this was the first time Michael had seen him do the thing with the crayon.

He leaned over and picked up another crayon, using his thumb to snap the tip off before handing it to the boy. "Do that again," he said, motioning to the crayon Carradine had repaired just minutes before. "Show me how you did that."

Maria watched the two of them through the opening over the counter between the kitchen and the living room as she put the finishing touches on dinner. She had spent countless hours watching them interact, touched by the patience Michael exhibited when explaining and teaching their son different things, and so proud of the man he had become. At the moment Carradine was showing his father how to fix a broken crayon, beaming happily when Michael praised his newest accomplishment.

She had been terrified the first time they had realized that he had inherited his father's abilities, concerned that it was only going to put her family more at risk than they already were, but Michael had helped to quiet her fears. The thought of losing either of them was more than she could bear, but it wasn't something that consumed her thoughts the way it had after discovering that Carradine had inherited his father's abilities.

"Hey, did Carey get in trouble for somethin' today?" Michael asked as he stepped into the kitchen a while later.

Maria hid a smile. She had known it wouldn't take long for him to figure out that something was up. "Why do you ask?"

"He's hedgin' about his day instead of givin' me the usual run-on commentary."

She chuckled and slapped his hand away when he reached around her to steal a corner off of the roast she had just pulled out of the oven. "He just proved once again that he is definitely your child."

"Yeah?"

She rolled her eyes at him. "Uh-huh. We ran to the store and he decided to go and investigate when he heard the announcement that Santa Claus was in the store."

Michael's eyebrows lifted in surprise. "He actually sat on the old guy's knee and told him what he wants for Christmas?"

"Oh, no, no, no, it was nothing like that. He hung back and studied Santa just like he does every time we see one and after, I don't know, ten minutes or so, he declared – quite loudly – that the old guy was a fake." She turned her head to glare at her husband when he laughed. "Not funny, Michael."

"What?"

"This is your fault, y'know." She moved to get something down from a cabinet and motioned for him to get out of her way. "He inherited that suspicious streak from you. Every time we go to a store he stands back and watches until he can find a reason to identify Santa as a fake."

"Hell, Maria, it's not like he's the first little kid to denounce Santa Claus in public."

"No, but he may very well be the first one to have snatched the old man's beard off when Santa invited him to tug on it to prove it was real."

Michael leaned forward and wiped the back of his hand across his mouth when he laughed and choked on his drink. He nodded at his wife when she thrust a handful of napkins in his hand as she walked past him again.

"Um-hmm, it was a real riot; children were screaming and crying, parents were trying to calm them down while shooting evil looks at me, and your son was just standing there, calmly taking it all in and studying the spoils of his war on Santa Claus."

He grinned. Carradine was always _his_ when he'd gotten into trouble.

"Needless to say, we won't be shopping at the corner market anymore."

"Because he yanked some phony Santa's beard off?"

"No, because the store manager asked me to leave and not come back since my child was too disruptive." She set the plates around the table and frowned at him when she turned back around and caught him smirking at her. "What?"

"Tell me the rest of the story." He knew there was more; she had probably told the guy off for saying anything negative about Carradine. "That's okay, I'll find out one way or the other." He nodded when she just rolled her eyes and walked to the refrigerator to get a glass of milk for their son. He leaned on the counter and cleared his throat to get the little boy's attention. "Hey, Carey, what'd Mama say to the man at the store today?"

Carradine looked up from his coloring book and frowned in concentration. "The mean one that yelled?"

A quick glance at Maria gave him confirmation and he nodded. "Yup, that's the one. What'd she say to him?"

He shrugged his thin shoulders. "Mama made me cover my ears 'fore she said somethin' to him." The boy sighed loudly and stared down at the crayon in his hand. "Am I in trouble now?"

"Not this time, buddy, but we're gonna talk about it after dinner." He hid a grin when Carradine exhaled loudly, obviously relieved. "Rippin' off Santa's beard," he muttered as he shifted to lean back against the counter and slouched down to rest his weight on his left elbow. "You tell the store manager off – and don't even deny it because we both know you did – and I've gotta come up with a reasonable explanation for the fake Santa." He groaned and scrubbed his right hand over his face. "You got off easy on this one."

"Next time, you take the mob of angry parents." She smiled to take the sting out of the words as she nudged him. "Go wash up for dinner."


	2. Chapter 2

**Part 2**

After dinner was finished Michael helped Carradine through his nightly ritual of brushing his teeth and taking a bath before finally wrestling him into a pair of pajamas. He picked him up and walked into his bedroom to rummage through the top drawer of his bureau to find a pair of socks.

"Daddy?"

"Um-hmm?"

"How come there's all them Santa people in the stores? I know they're not him." He leaned back against his father's chest when he sat down on the couch in the living room, watching as Michael reached out to pull the socks on his little feet.

"That why you pulled that Santa's beard off today?"

"He was lyin', Daddy, an' you an' Mama said it's bad to lie."

_Yeah, Maria definitely got the easier deal this time,_ Michael thought. "That's right, it is bad to lie." He reached up to scratch his eyebrow with his right thumb. "But, here's the thing, Carey; Santa's kinda busy this time of year, y'know? I mean, he's gotta get stuff ready to deliver to kids all over the world, so he can't really be hangin' out at every single place where you see a Santa, right?" He smiled to himself, feeling smug when Carradine nodded. _This wasn't really all that hard after all._ "So, he's gotta have help from some regular people who dress up like him and talk to all the kids all over the world so they can report back to him and make sure his list is right when he loads up the sleigh on Christmas Eve." _Yeah, that sounded pretty damn believable in his opinion._

"Is Santa like us?"

Michael shook his head despite the temptation to take credit for the existence of Santa Claus. "No, he's not like us." Carradine had an accelerated ability when it came to processing certain information and he didn't know if that was because the boy carried the hybrid gene or if he was just really smart for his age.

"But, he's got special powers, right?"

"Well, they're not really powers, Carey."

"Then how come he takes presents to the whole world? An' how come he can get in people's houses when they don't got no chimley? An' how's he make them reindeers fly an' walk on people's houses? An' how come he eats cookies an' milk at every house an' don't get sick, huh? You 'member that time I eated all them cookies an' then I didn't feel good no more? Cuz I got sick, Daddy… 'member? I throwed up all over, so how come Santa can eat all them cookies an' he don't get sick?"

Michael grimaced at that particular memory. "Yeah, I remember that, buddy. Santa can do all that stuff because it's Christmas. He doesn't have any special powers or anything, it's because Christmas is… it's like magic, but it only comes around once a year and it only lasts for that one night."

"So, the Christmas magic makes him be able to do all them things?"

"Yeah."

"Huh." Carradine shifted around until he was comfortably snuggled up in the cradle of his father's arm. "So, if you go to a Santa an' tell him what ya want, you'll get it for Christmas?"

"Yep, that's the way it works. I mean, sometimes kids misbehave and Santa knows that so they don't get what they ask for."

"But, if you're good you get what you ask for, right?"

"Uh-huh." Michael was feeling pretty good about his explanation. _Ha! And Maria had thought he was gonna have a difficult time with this? He rocked at this!_

"I been good, Daddy."

"Yep, I'd say you've been really good. Although, you can't be goin' around snatchin' the beards off of the store Santa's… most kids don't know that Santa has helpers like that."

"Okay." Carradine played with the buttons on his father's shirt, considering everything that he had learned. "So, since I been good, if I go ask one of them Santa's for a puppy, I'm gonna get one, huh?"

_Aw, crap! He hadn't seen that one coming! Maria was gonna kill him for sure! _"Uh, well, y'know, son, I can't speak for Santa, but you should definitely put it out there and see what happens." Carradine had been asking for a dog for the past couple of months; it seemed to be the only thing the little boy wanted.

"Okay." He yawned and rubbed his eyes sleepily. "Can I ask the Santa tomorrow?"

Michael's eyebrows shot up at his son's question. Carradine was wary of strangers and this was the first time he had expressed any interest in paying a visit to Santa Claus. The fact that he was willing to take that step only proved how much he really wanted a dog. They were going to the mall the next day to pick up a few things so they could decorate the tree and apartment in the evening, but he hadn't expected to be paying a visit to the mall Santa. "Sure, we'll go see Santa." He stood and lifted the little boy's sleep-heavy body up against his chest. "But for now, I think we'd better get you to bed." _And I've gotta figure out how I'm gonna explain this to your mother._

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The entrance to the mall was festively decorated and holiday music and a rush of heat greeted them as they stepped through the automatic doors the next afternoon. Carradine's eyes were wide as he looked around at the constant streams of people moving past them, the shoppers loaded down with brightly-colored sacks as they rushed from store to store. His parents held tightly to his hands as they walked to an area near a large water fountain with benches placed around it and he held his arms up as his father reached down to pick him up and stand him on one of the benches.

"Okay, how do we wanna do this?" Michael asked as he unzipped Carradine's coat and worked it off of him.

"Why don't you take Carey while I go pick up my half of the list and when I'm finished, I'll take him, so you can take care of your half?" She checked her purse to make sure she had both lists and nodded to herself. She bundled Carradine's coat up and pulled a small jacket out of her oversized purse before shoving the coat inside in its place. "Take that just in case he gets cool."

"Maria, he's got a sweater on…" He trailed off when she just gave him a look and he quickly took the jacket from her. "Right, jacket, got it."

"You cleaned the trunk out like I asked, right?"

Michael rolled his eyes at her as he took Carradine's hand and motioned for the boy to hop down to stand on the floor. "Yeah, I cleaned it out."

"Okay, now, where will I find you when I'm finished?" Neither of them was comfortable leaving Carradine with anyone else, so that made it necessary for them to split up to pick up his presents from _Santa_.

"We'll meet you at the pet store… is an hour enough time to pick out the boring stuff?" He leaned in to kiss her, smiling against her lips when she thumped one hand against his shoulder. "I'm kiddin', babe."

"Uh-huh." Her tone said she didn't believe him. "I'll meet you guys when I'm finished. If it takes longer than an hour, just wait at the pet store and I'll find you."

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Michael and Carradine wandered in and out of a few stores as they walked through the mall, looking at different things that happened to catch their eye in passing. The main reason for the visit was to finish picking up the last of Carradine's Christmas presents and a few things they needed to decorate the apartment.

He shook his head when they passed a jewelry store and the saleswoman at the door asked if she could interest him in something special for his wife. He smiled to himself; he had gotten her the perfect gift this year and he didn't have the slightest worry that she wouldn't love it. For once, he was ahead of the game and he couldn't wait to see the look on her face when she saw the gift he had chosen.

"Daddy, look!"

His hand automatically tightened around his son's when Carradine started shouting excitedly and trying to pull free of his hold. He glanced up and saw the pet store looming ahead of them; the large window to the right of the entrance was lined with straw and half a dozen puppies bounced around playfully.

When they were close enough he released Carradine's hand and the little boy ran up to the window, hands and nose pressed to the glass as the puppies started to jump up and down, yapping and pawing the window.

Michael crouched down behind Carradine and he glanced at his son, intrigued by the intense look in his dark eyes. He suddenly realized that the little boy wasn't looking at the puppies clambering for attention and he turned to follow his gaze. In the back corner of the display window a small white puppy was curled up in a little ball, its dark brown eyes constantly moving as it observed everything going on around it.

"See something you like?"

Michael looked at the bubblegum-popping teenager and barely controlled the urge to roll his eyes. He kept his hand on Carradine's shoulder as he stood up, glancing at the girl's nametag – the only thing that identified her as an employee of the pet store. "What's up with that one?" he asked, pointing at the puppy that had captured his son's attention.

"No one knows," she answered. "They're all from the same litter, they're in perfect health, but for whatever reason, that one just chooses to hang back away from all the others."

"Tell me about this breed; are they good with kids?" He listened as the young woman rattled off an excessive amount of information about the American Eskimo dog.

"Would your son like to hold one?" she asked.

Michael glanced down at Carradine, not surprised to find the boy looking at him expectantly. "Yeah, maybe just for a few minutes."

Carradine shook his head and tugged on his father's jeans when the salesgirl picked up one of the puppies. "Not that one, Daddy."

Michael rapped his knuckles against the glass to get the girl's attention, shaking his head and motioning to the quiet puppy in the corner. They stepped into the store and Carradine held his breath when the girl leaned down to place the puppy in his arms.

"Daddy, look," he whispered.

"Oh, my God," the salesgirl muttered when the puppy suddenly started wiggling around, grunting and whining as it pressed its cold, wet nose against the little boy's neck and snuffled. Its tail was whipping back and forth causing its entire body to move all over the place, but Carradine managed to hold onto the squirming animal.

Michael reached over his son's shoulder to stroke the soft fur on the puppy's head. He pulled his cell phone out of his pocket and flipped it open. "Hey, Carey, turn around for a sec." He pressed one of the keys to capture the image and then sent it to Maria before closing the phone and putting it away.

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Maria placed her purse on top of her purchases where she had just dropped them in the trunk and dug around for her phone when she heard it ringing. She flipped it open and scrolled through to find the most recent message, smiling when she saw the picture Michael had sent. She had been waiting for her husband to spring the puppy idea on her again and it looked like he was working his way up to it. _She was ready for him though,_ she thought as she sent a text back to ask him if they wanted to get something to eat before they switched off. She chuckled when he responded with an affirmative answer and the name of one of the restaurants in the food court before she even had time to finish shifting the sacks to one side of the trunk.

She was certain when they had flipped a coin to see who got to pick up the toys and who got to pick up the boring things like clothes and shoes that Michael had cheated. She knew it was going to take him longer than an hour to pick up the things on his list because he would end up playing with every toy on display as he made his way through the stores.

Maria was halfway through the food court before she spotted her husband and son at a table singing loudly and off-key. _Carradine had inherited his father's inability to carry a tune,_ she thought, wincing. She paused, hanging back for several minutes just to watch them as the little boy said something and Michael laughed openly. Carradine had brought out a side of Michael that he had always kept hidden deep inside. A part of himself that had never really been allowed to surface as a child because circumstances had forced him to bury anything that would make him appear weak or vulnerable.

"Mama!" Carradine scrambled to stand up on his chair and before she could form the words to tell him to be careful, Michael placed a steadying hand on his back. "Mama, here!"

Maria weaved her way through the maze of tables and pressed a kiss against his messy hair before leaning over to kiss her husband.

"You get everything?" Michael asked, watching her as she held Carradine still with one hand and brushed tiny white hairs off of his clothes with the other.

"Um-hmm."

"Daddy teached me a new song, Mama. Want me to sing it for you?"

"Of course, sweetie."

"Okay." Carradine took a deep breath and belted out the slightly altered lyrics. "Gramma got runned over by some reindeers…"

Michael scrambled to his feet when his wife's hands paused in their task and she turned to look at him, her green eyes shooting sparks as she glared at him. "I'll go get the food."

"I don't know no more of the words, Mama. You want me to sing it for you again?"

_She was going to kill Michael for this!_ "Sure. Unless you'd rather tell me about the puppy at the pet store."

"Can we go back and I can show him to you?" He looked down when his mother settled him back down in his chair and then unfolded a large napkin and tucked a corner of it into his collar.

"We're gonna go pick up a few things for the Christmas tree after we eat and if Daddy's not done with his errands we'll stop over at the pet store so you can show me the puppy before we go home."

"Huh-uh," Carradine denied. "We gotta go see Santa too, Mama."

"You want to go see Santa?"

"Uh-huh. He's not the real one, but Daddy said he's not really lyin' 'bout bein' the real Santa 'cause he's like a helper guy for Santa. An' Daddy said if kids are good – and I been good, Mama, Daddy said so – then if I tell the Santa guy I want a puppy he'll tell the real Santa and I'll get a puppy."

Maria nodded at his enthusiastic explanation. "Daddy said all that, did he?"

"Uh-huh." Carradine fidgeted in his seat. "We're gonna see the Santa soon, right, Mama? I gotta tell him 'bout the puppy 'fore somebody else asks for him first." He looked up when his father sat down beside him with a tray of food. "Daddy, what happens if somebody asks for my puppy?"

"What?"

"Your son would like to know what happens if another child asks Santa for the same puppy," Maria clarified as she unwrapped the smallest hamburger on the tray and cut it into four pieces so Carradine could manage them with ease.

Michael cleared his throat as he peeled the plastic wrapper off of a small straw and pushed it into a juice box. "Listen, buddy," he said, setting the drink down and turning Carradine's chair so that the boy was facing him. "We talked about this last night and I told you that askin' Santa for somethin' doesn't mean you're gonna get it. You remember that?"

"But, Santa could bring me a puppy if I ask, right? He won't know if I don't ask him, Daddy, so I gotta ask."

"Right, well, it never hurts to ask just as long as you understand that askin' doesn't mean you're gonna get what you want."

"But, I might?"

"But, you might," Michael agreed, moving the chair around so Carradine could start eating. He glanced at Maria as he reached for his own hamburger, smiling in response to her expression of happiness.

They plotted out the next couple of hours while they ate and agreed that Michael would call her when he was finished so they could decide where to meet.


	3. Chapter 3

**Part 3**

As expected, Maria finished her shopping first so she and Carradine headed for the pet store. She could feel his disappointment when they reached the large display window and it was empty.

"Mama, he's gone."

"Well, look who came back."

Maria looked up at the salesgirl and she was opening her mouth to speak when Carradine spoke up, surprising her.

"Did somebody take the puppy?"

"No, they're just in the back so they can rest for a little while." She smiled at the little boy when he leaned against his mother's leg and squeezed her hand convulsively.

"I kinda wanted to show him to Mama."

"Maybe I can bring him back out for a few minutes, how's that sound?"

Carradine nodded enthusiastically. "Mama, the lady's gonna go get my puppy," he said, bouncing up and down with excitement. "Look, Mama, look! There he is!"

"It's amazing," the salesgirl said as the little boy carefully took the puppy from her. "We've had this pup for about a week now and no one's even given him a second look because he's always in the corner by himself, but he just comes alive with your son."

"Tell me more about this breed," Maria said, glancing at her son when the puppy licked his chin, making him giggle.

She was still asking questions when Michael joined them a while later. She had picked Carradine up at some point and he could tell that the boy was getting heavy so he deftly eased him out of her arms.

"Why don't we let Mama hold the puppy and we'll go look around for a few minutes before we go see Santa."

Carradine looked down at the puppy, hugging him and kissing his soft, furry head before handing him to his mother. "Bye, Puppy." He reached out to pat the dog once more, resting his chin on his father's shoulder and watching the puppy until they turned down another aisle.

"Hey, Carey, check these guys out," Michael said when they reached the back part of the store where the reptiles were housed. They wandered around looking at snakes and lizards until they came to a glass case that held several iguanas.

"Mama'd like them, Daddy." He reached out to tap on the glass. "They're the same color like her eyes, huh?"

Michael smiled at that comparison. _Maria wouldn't really appreciate that comparison._

"Daddy, look at him!"

He followed his son's pointing finger to one of the store employees; the guy was holding an iguana, demonstrating the proper way to hold one to a group of people standing around him.

"I wanna do that!" He grabbed his father's hand and tried to drag him along so they could take a closer look at the guy with the iguana.

Michael looked up a while later when Maria leaned against his side.

"Do I wanna know what the two of you are up to?"

He shook his head and grinned. "Probably not." He nodded to direct her attention towards their son when he heard him talking to the store employee.

"'Kay, I just wanna show Mama," he was saying as he turned around. "Look, Mama!" he crowed proudly as he approached her with a bright green lizard clutched in his right hand.

Michael caught Maria around the shoulders to keep her from falling when she squealed and automatically tried to jump back away from the scaly creature.

"Carradine DeLuca-Guerin, you get that thing away from me!"

"C'mon, babe, he wants to show you his new little friend."

"But, Mama, he's nice." He shoved it closer to her. "See? An' look, he's the same color like your eyes…" He frowned up at her. "You don't like him?"

"No, sweetie, it's not that." Maria took a deep breath and crouched down in front of her son while trying to maintain the maximum distance from the ugly creature he held.

"You'll like him better if you hold him. See? I can show you, 'cause I know how."

Maria grimaced as Carradine transferred the hideous creature into her hand and she forced down the natural instinct to throw the thing as far away as possible. "That is very special," she agreed and handed the lizard back to the store employee at the very first opportunity. "But, you know what else is special? Going to see Santa… and washing our hands… that'll be special too."

Michael laughed and scooped Carradine up into his arms. "C'mon, little man, let's go wash up so we can go pay a visit to Santa." He glanced at his wife and controlled the urge to laugh when her expression warned him that if he dared to express humor he was going to regret it. "You guys dropped the stuff you picked up off at the car, right?"

"Um-hmm."

He struggled to keep from laughing. He already knew he was going to hear about it when they got home, but for now, they had a visit to Santa to take care of.

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Once they got home Maria carried Carradine inside to put him down for a nap while Michael unloaded their purchases from the car and piled everything on the couch in the living room. The last thing he carried in was the tree and by the time Maria came back into the room he had finished setting it in the stand and he was turning it this way and that as he debated which side looked the best.

"That side right there," she said as she walked into the kitchen to make a pot of coffee.

Michael glanced at her over his shoulder and nodded, leaving it in its current position before shifting his attention to the sacks on the couch. "You want all of Carey's stuff in the closet in our room?" he asked as he picked up one of the sacks with clothes inside.

"Yeah, but put them on the top shelf because he's starting to get curious."

He sat down on the arm of the couch as he divided the sacks up so he could take all of the Christmas presents into their bedroom in one trip. His eyebrows lifted in interest when he noticed a small bag shoved into another one and he pulled it out, grinning when he recognized the logo for one of the sports stores in the mall.

"You bought the jersey!" He laughed as he pulled the little hockey jersey out of the bag and shook it out, admiring it. "I thought you said it was too much money to spend on a shirt?"

"I still think it was a ridiculous amount of money to spend on a single shirt." Maria sighed and rolled her eyes as she joined him and handed him a cup of coffee. "But you had your heart set on it and besides, why should Santa get all the credit for the cool stuff?"

"That's my girl," he said, chuckling as he wrapped his right arm around her waist and tugged her up against his side. "He's gonna love it, Maria."

"Um-hmm, I know." She rested her chin on his shoulder and smiled. "He might even love it as much as his daddy does."

Michael carefully folded the jersey up and placed it back in the bag. "So, what d'you think about the puppy?" he asked, leaning around her to set his mug on the coffee table and shifting to pull her to stand between his legs.

"I still think the same thing I thought the last time you brought it up, Michael; we live in an apartment and having a dog means having something else to feed and clean up after. And just for the record, what that really means is that it would be something else for _me_ to feed and clean up after."

"Aw, c'mon, Maria, havin' a dog will teach Carey responsibility; he'll learn to take the dog out for walks, how to feed it, care for it, and clean up after it."

"Um-hmm, and who will teach him those things? Because as I recall, you've never had a dog."

"But, that's the beauty of my plan, babe." He grinned. "You've had a dog, so you already know all of those things."

"And again, we come back to this being something that means more work for me."

"I'll help, too." He leaned in and kissed her neck. "Please?"

Maria chuckled and backed out of his embrace. "You're cheating and I am not giving in to your method of persuasion." She motioned to the bags on the couch behind him. "You go put those things away."

He sighed and started gathering up the sacks. "You like my method of persuasion, woman," he insisted.

"Too much, and that's why I'm not falling for it."

"You're gonna think about it though, right?" He paused and looked up at her as she started opening up boxes of ornaments and lights and setting them out. "He doesn't really have any friends to play with and a dog would at least provide companionship." He shrugged. "We've been talkin' about movin' into a bigger place, right? So, maybe we can find a house with a yard and that way they wouldn't be underfoot all the time."

"I'll think about it, Michael, but no promises."

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

That evening the scent of spices hung heavily in the air, mixing with the heady smell of the fresh-cut Christmas tree, the stereo was tuned to a station playing Christmas carols, a fire roared cheerfully in the fireplace in the corner, and the apartment was filled with the warmth of love and happiness that radiated out from the family as they decorated. Once the tree was trimmed and the only thing left to do was finish it off with either the star or the angel tree topper, Michael and Maria both reached for their personal choice. Carradine's eyes bounced back and forth between his parents when they both fell silent at the same time.

"Star."

"Angel."

"No."

"Yes."

They both had their own reasons for their choice; Maria preferred the star because it reminded her of where Michael came from, and that he had chosen her over that other place. Michael preferred the angel because it reminded him of Maria, his own personal angel who had saved his life and given him the home and family he had always wanted.

"You got to pick last year," Maria reminded her husband, smiling when he looked like he was going to start pouting. "It's only fair that we use mine this year."

Carradine climbed up on the couch, grasping handfuls of his parent's shirts to keep his balance as he stood between them. "Mama, Daddy, I know how we fix it." He reached out to push the tree toppers together and wrapped a red ribbon around them. "See?"

They looked at each other and smiled, parental pride evident in their expressions. "We've got a smart kid," Michael muttered as he leaned down to brush a kiss against his wife's lips.

"I know. I'll take credit for that."

"What?"

"I'll explain later." Her tone was teasing, but promising.

"Okay," Michael said slowly. He took the star and the angel and sat down on the couch with Carradine leaning against his shoulder as he tried to figure out the best way to put the two things together. He put them back to back and had the little boy hold them while he tied the red ribbon around them as neatly as possible. "So, I guess we put it on the tree facing side to side instead of front to back?"

"That's probably the only way it's gonna work." Maria stood back with the camera and watched as Michael handed the new tree topper to Carradine, snapping off pictures and capturing the moment on film.

He lifted the little boy up and waited patiently for him to settle it crookedly on the tree's highest peak. He shifted Carradine so the boy was sitting on his shoulders, freeing his hands up to reach out and plug the tree toppers into another strand of lights. "Are you ready, Carey?"

"Ready, Daddy!"

"How 'bout you, Mama? You ready?" Michael asked, glancing at his wife. He smiled and turned off the overhead lights when she nodded; he had seen the tears shimmering in her eyes and knew that if she spoke she would start crying. It was a difficult time of the year for them, and especially for Maria, but she didn't want anything to spoil the holiday for Carradine. "You wanna turn the lights on, Carey?"

"Yeah!"

Michael moved to the wall switch that controlled the outlet they had plugged the lights into and he reached up to take Carradine's right hand, directing it to the switch. His other hand moved down to wrap around Maria's and he tugged her up against his side so he could settle his arm around her shoulders. "Whenever you're ready, buddy."

Carradine pulled the switch up and he gasped in awe as the tree came to life, the multi-colored lights reflecting off of the bulbs hanging from the branches. He tugged on his father's shirt and as soon as he had been placed on his own two feet he moved up closer to the tree, reaching out to gently brush his fingers over the branches.

Maria sighed, happy and content, as she watched him. She leaned back into Michael's embrace when he moved her to stand in front him and his long arms enfolded her from behind. This was the first year that Carradine was old enough to really have any understanding of the holiday; the first couple of Christmases after he had been born had really been more for them than their little boy. She smiled as she remembered Michael's disappointment the year before when he had found the perfect toy and after unwrapping it on Christmas morning, Carradine had spent the day playing with the box the gift had come in while the toy sat ignored.

"You okay?" Michael asked, his voice a low growl in her ear.

Her right hand came up to curl around his neck and she leaned her temple against his. "Yeah, I'm fine."

"I know how hard this is for you, Maria…"

She turned in his arms and looked up at him, fingers tracing over his beloved face. "It is hard, but I wouldn't trade this… you and Carradine… I wouldn't trade that for anything in this world or any other, Michael."

Even now, after several years together, it still overwhelmed him when she said things like that, and he knew he would never have the ability to convey those thoughts and emotions into actual words. _Thankfully he had a wife who understood that,_ he thought when she smiled up at him.

"Why don't you put Carey to bed while I straighten up in here," she suggested.

"It's a little bit early, isn't it?"

"He's had a busy day and it won't be long before he starts getting cranky because he's tired, and we can avoid all of that by putting him to bed a little bit early." She leaned in to kiss him and her right hand slid under his shirt as she gently raked her nails over his back. "And if we put him to bed early…"

"Then _we_ can go to bed early." Michael laughed. "I do love the way your mind works." He stepped away from her reluctantly and went to get Carradine so he could get started on the lengthy bedtime process.


	4. Chapter 4

**Part 4**

After the apartment had been straightened up and once again resembled living space instead of storage space Maria took a long, hot shower and then lingered, drying her hair, dressing, and getting ready. She looked at her reflection, studying the overall effect and winked at herself; _Michael wouldn't know what hit him._ She snatched his bathrobe off of the back of the door and pulled it on, belting it as she finally made her exit.

"You redecoratin' in there?" Michael asked, not looking up from the book he was reading.

"Maybe." She stretched out beside him and braced her weight on her elbow so she could rest her chin in her hand. "Did you tell Carey to tell me that the lizard was the same color green as my eyes?" she asked, hoping that he would say yes.

"No. Why would you think that I told him to say that?"

"I was just really hoping that you had told him to say it because if he came up with it on his own, then I've got so much work to do," she groaned.

"What?"

"Michael, you do realize that one day he's gonna be old enough to date, right?"

He shrugged and turned to the next page. "And?"

"And at this rate he's gonna be you all over again." She sighed and shook her head, chuckling at his disgruntled expression. "You cannot compare a girl's eyes to the color of a lizard, Michael! Do you know what the next step is? The generic, economy-sized bottle of all-in-one shampoo and conditioner!"

"He's only four years old, babe. Don't you think maybe you're jumpin' the gun just a little bit?" He took her free hand and pressed a kiss to her knuckles. "I promise, if at any time it looks like your influence hasn't been enough to prevent that from happening I will make sure he never follows in his old man's footsteps as far as dating etiquette is concerned. Trust me, I'll make sure he never makes _that_ particular mistake," he said with a laugh. "I learned my lesson."

"Yes, you did." They could laugh about it now, but it hadn't been all that funny at the time. She slid her hand out of his and reached for the book he was so involved in. "What're you reading?"

"Uh…" He grimaced when she pulled the book out of his hand and glanced at the cover. "I can explain – "

"No, you don't have to," she said, shaking her head as she stared at the picture of an American Eskimo dog. "I asked a lot of questions today too, y'know. The dog would be a good choice for Carey… and he did really seem to take to that puppy he saw at the pet store today."

"Did you see how the pup took to him?"

Maria smiled. "He definitely got that from you."

"That's debatable," Michael disagreed. "So, does this mean we're getting the puppy?"

"We're getting the puppy." She sighed as she moved to the edge of the bed and stood up. "I was really looking forward to some of that famous Guerin method of persuasion, but since you've already convinced me…"

"I'm sure there's somethin' I can persuade you to do," he growled, tossing the book on the floor and sitting up. He reached out to snag the belt to tug her closer to untie it and his mouth dropped open when the panels of the robe separated and revealed the red silk slip she was wearing. "And you thought _I_ was gonna persuade _you_ to do somethin'? Damn, Maria, you've got all the powers of persuasion on your side tonight." His hands slid over her silk-covered hips to settle at her waist. "You were supposed to be shoppin' just for Carey today."

Maria's eyes were teasing as she started to back out of his hold. "Well, if you don't like it – "

"No, no, no, come back here. I didn't say that!" His breathing was thick as his heated gaze traced over her body. "How d'you make a simple piece of material so damn beautiful?"

She shook her head. "I think that's the other way around."

"Huh-uh. You don't need anything to make you beautiful, babe. You own that market in my world."

Maria shrugged the robe off of her shoulders and let it fall to the floor as he tugged her towards him, pulling her against his body and falling back on the bed with her in his arms.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

On Sunday evening the family was lounging on the couch, watching a movie and just enjoying spending time together. A fire roared in the fireplace, the lights on the tree twinkled merrily, and a Christmas movie was playing on the television. They had spent the day going to the grocery store, running a few small errands, and then wrapping presents while Carradine was down for his afternoon nap.

Maria was lying on the couch beside him, her head propped up on his thigh as she dozed lightly, and Carradine was leaning against his other side, his gaze focused on the gingerbread cookie he was eating. Michael wasn't really paying much attention to the movie; he was basking in the peace of the quiet evening, taking advantage of the opportunity to be with his wife and son under circumstances that were about as close to normal as they ever got for the little family.

"Daddy?"

He looked down when Carradine tugged on his sleeve and he realized the boy had called him more than once. "Hmm?"

"How come we ain't got none of them fam'ly people?"

"What?"

Carradine turned and pointed at the television and his gaze travelled over the warm scene of a large, extended family all settling down around a Christmas tree to open presents. "Them people there… we don't got none of them."

"Well, it's not that we don't have them, buddy." Michael reached up to scratch his eyebrow with his right thumb. He motioned to the bookshelf in the corner. "See that big book on the second shelf?"

"Uh-huh."

"Go get it for me." As soon as Carradine returned with the oversized photo album, Michael took it from him and held it until he had scrambled back up to sit on the couch. "Okay," he said, placing it on the boy's lap and opening it up to the first page. Maria had put the album together a couple of years earlier to preserve the photographs and keep them safe.

Carradine giggled as he pointed to a picture of his father and Michael looked at the image of himself at sixteen years old. "Look at your hair, Daddy!"

Michael snorted and ran a hand through his son's unruly locks. "You have no room to talk, little man." He settled his right arm around the boy's shoulders and turned the page, tapping on a picture of the group in high school. "The people in this picture… they're the rest of our family." Carradine had met them during dream walks, but he had no recollection of those meetings. His finger passed over each one as he introduced them. "This's your Aunt Isabel, Uncle Alex, Uncle Max, Aunt Liz, and Uncle Kyle." He turned to the next page. "This's your Grandma."

"She's Mama's mommy, huh?"

"Yeah."

"How come they don't never come over?"

"Well, Grandma lives in New Mexico, Uncle Max and Aunt Liz live in Florida by the ocean, and Aunt Isabel and Uncle Kyle live Massachusetts." He smiled when Carradine looked up at him, his expression confused by the names of places he didn't know. "They live far, far away, buddy, and it's difficult to get together."

Carradine frowned when they reached the middle of the album. "Where'd Uncle Alex go, Daddy? How come he's not in no more pictures?" He looked up at his father, wondering why the man had gone so silent and so still. "Daddy?" He glanced back down at the photo before looking up at his father once more.

Michael cleared his throat when he felt Maria tense up against him. She had been awake for a while now, but she had remained silent, letting him handle the explanations as the questions poured out of their son. "Uncle Alex… he, um… he went away, Carey, and where he went… well, it's not a place he can come back from."

"Was him an' Aunt Isabel like you an' Mama?"

"Like me an' Mama?" Michael asked, not understanding the question.

"Yeah." Carradine reached over to grasp Michael's left hand and motioned to the ring on his third finger.

"Oh, married. No, they never did get married."

"Is her an' Uncle Kyle married? You said they live in the same place, right?"

Michael snickered at the thought of Kyle Valenti taking on Isabel Evans. "No, no, they're just really good friends who live together. Your Uncle Max and Aunt Liz are married like me an' Mama." He turned a few pages to the most recent photos and pointed to one of the couple in question. "See, here they are with your cousin."

Carradine wrinkled his nose at the baby wrapped in a light blue blanket in his aunt's arms. "Are they different like me an' you, Daddy?"

"Yeah, they're different like us."

"What about Gramma? Her too?"

"Well, Grandma _is_ different," Michael admitted with a smirk and then yelped when Maria pinched his thigh. "What I mean is your grandma isn't like us; she doesn't have any powers or anything, but she is different."

"So, it's just her an' Mama who's not like us in the fam'ly?" Carradine thought about that for several minutes before he looked up at his father. "But, you said Gramma's just a different kinda different, right? So, what about Mama? Her too?"

"No, Mama's in her own category."

"'cause she's special, huh?"

Michael's fingers combed through Maria's blond hair and he smiled as he looked down and met her emerald gaze. "Yeah, 'cause she's very special and there's nobody else like 'er anywhere in the universe." He closed the photo album and patted Carradine's right shoulder. "Go put that back on the shelf; it's getting close to bedtime for you."

"Aw, Daddy," Carradine complained. "I don't wanna go to bed."

"Well… okay," Michael said slowly, forcing down the grin when the little boy paused as he slid the heavy book back onto the shelf before turning around to look at him.

"I don't gotta go to bed?"

"Nope. I mean, it's bedtime and you should be goin' to bed, but if you wanna sit up… well, Santa _might_ not find out. What'd you ask him for again?" He grabbed Maria's hand before she could pinch him again.

That caught Carradine's attention and he thought about what his father was saying as he slowly turned to look out the window. "I'll go get the storybook, Daddy," he shouted, running from the room.

"Michael, you can't blackmail him into doing what you want him to do," Maria chastised, slapping his thigh as she sat up.

"Oh, c'mon, babe, we only get to use it for like a week; once Christmas is over and the fat man has flown through and taken all the credit for the presents that we bought with our hard-earned money, we won't get to use it again for another year." He collared her with his left arm and pulled her close to his body. "You okay?" he mumbled, pressing his lips to her temple.

"Yeah. I just wish Carey could know his family, Michael." She burrowed into his warm embrace when he brought his other arm around her, hugging her tightly. Tears slid from her eyes, creating a path along her cheeks to drip off of her chin. "I miss them so much… and my mom… God, there's just so much I wish I could tell her. And you never say anything, but I know you miss them, too."

Carradine paused in the doorway when he saw his parents hugging and talking quietly. He crept closer and listened, frowning when he realized that Mama was crying and Daddy was telling her something about things changing one day. He turned around and went back to his room, walking over to stand in front of the window and pushing the curtains back so he could look outside. He was still there when his father walked in a little while later.

"Hey, you didn't bring your storybook to me," Michael said, crouching down behind his son. "Whatcha lookin' at?"

"Is it gonna snow, Daddy?"

"Why? You want snow?"

"Yeah."

"Well, who knows, as cold as it's been here lately, I wouldn't be surprised if it snowed for Christmas." He cocked his head to one side when Carradine sighed. "Hey, you got somethin' else you wanna talk about?"

"Can you tell Santa if you 'member there's somethin' else you want?" Carradine asked, turning around to meet his father's gaze. "I mean, y'know, if ya think of somethin' else an' it's real important, is it maybe okay to ask for it too?"

Michael scratched his eyebrow as he scrambled for the right words. "Well, I'm not exactly sure how that works, buddy."

"Can I tell Santa I want somethin' else?"

"What could you possibly want more than a dog, little man?"

"I thought maybe I could ask him to let Mama see Gramma an' then she won't be sad no more."

"Oh, no, baby, I don't want you to trade in your Christmas wish," Maria said, feeling more tears threatening at her little boy's generous gesture. She had stopped in his doorway to watch them, never expecting the conversation she had overheard. She gathered him up in her arms and hugged him tightly, resting her forehead against his shoulder when he threw his little arms around her neck.

She could feel Michael's hand rubbing her back in soothing circles, but more than that she could feel the emotions he was holding back. She knew he believed that when Carradine exhibited behaviors like he just had that it was something he had gotten exclusively from her, but he couldn't be more wrong. Michael just hid that part of himself better than most people did, but she knew from first-hand experience that it existed.

"Why don't we read that bedtime story now," she suggested. As much as she appreciated the gesture, she couldn't let him ask Santa for something that she knew was impossible because it would break his little heart when Christmas morning came around and his gift didn't appear. "Tell you what, why don't we let Daddy read to both of us tonight, hmm? How's that sound?"

Carradine scooted to the center of his bed when his mother set him down and he slid in under the covers, smiling when his parents squeezed onto the small bed on either side of him. He pulled the worn stuffed rabbit out from under his pillow and tucked it into Mama's arms, knowing that Hopper would make her feel better. He snuggled down with his head propped on Daddy's shoulder and he sighed happily as their hands linked over him and his father's voice eased him into sleep.


	5. Chapter 5

**Part 5**

Early in the afternoon on Christmas Eve Maria was lounging on the couch while looking through the photo album, enjoying the ever so brief silence that settled over the apartment while Carradine was down for a nap. Michael had been given the opportunity to go in to work early in order to be off by noon and he was swinging by the mall afterwards to pick up the puppy. They had a neighbor in the building who had agreed to keep the animal overnight for them so the puppy could be presented on Christmas morning.

Her gaze lingered on a photograph that had been taken when she was seven months pregnant and she smiled as she thought back to the last few months they had been together as a group. Michael had seen the toll that the constant travelling had been taking on Maria and he had insisted that they take a break and settle someplace temporarily. He had been concerned that the stress and worry was going to cause a problem with the pregnancy or put her health in danger so he had been adamant in his decision that they had to stop running for a while. They had known that the addition of a baby meant splitting the group up to lower the risk of being found and having to go on the run again, but they had agreed to wait until the baby's birth before going their separate ways.

Michael had driven her crazy by making sure that she was never alone and they had all taken turns hanging out with her. Liz and Isabel had been cool about it, but the guys had been a different story altogether; she had been certain that they had never seen a pregnant woman, much less been around one. It had been during one of Kyle's shifts that she had been introduced to the old _Kung Fu_ television series and it hadn't taken long for her to fall under its charm. There were so many similarities between the main character and Michael; being on the run, helping people when the opportunity presented itself, and being different from everyone else.

It was while watching one of the many episodes that she had suddenly realized what she wanted to name the baby. She had known that the baby was a boy and she had wanted him to have a strong name, something different and unique. She chuckled as she turned the page and looked at the picture of Michael holding their son for the first time; his expression had been such a mixture of emotions. His face had expressed awe, shock, pride, and fear as he had stared down at the infant, and when the tiny fingers had curled around his forefinger for the first time he had choked up.

She glanced over her shoulder when the front door opened and her husband peered around the doorframe. "What're you doing?" she asked.

"Carey still asleep?"

"Yeah. Why?"

Michael stepped inside fully and closed the door behind him and he held a hand up when Maria noticed the puppy cradled in his right arm and she opened her mouth to ask him what he was doing. "Mr. Crawford's not back from his afternoon walk yet," he said quietly. "I've gotta run back out but I've gotta get something first." He leaned over the back of the couch to place the puppy in her arms. "I'll be right back."

"What do you mean you've gotta run back out?" she whispered, preventing him from leaving the room. "You went in early today so you could be home by the time Carey gets up from his nap."

"Well, somethin' unexpected came up, babe. I can't control everything, y'know."

Maria snorted and waved him off as she looked down at the puppy. "Did you hear that? He can't control everything," she scoffed, shaking her head. "I'm married to a last-minute shopper, d'you know that?" She studied the puppy's face, tipping her head to one side and laughing aloud when the animal mimicked her movements. "I just know you're gonna be a handful."

"Okay, babe, I'm gonna drop the pup off with Mr. Crawford and then I've gotta run take care of somethin', but I'll be back as soon as possible."

Maria looked up at him and smiled. "And what've you gotta take care of?"

"None of your business," he said, leaning down over the back of the couch to kiss her. "It might take a little longer than I wanted it to, so don't worry if I'm gone for a while."

"Alright, but you'd better not be late for dinner." She wrapped her hand around his before he could back away. "Hey, be careful, okay?"

Michael nodded and hurried back out of the apartment and she just shook her head. She had to wonder if he was on his way to pick up her gift. She had looked around the apartment, but she hadn't found any sign that he had been shopping for her gift and hidden it somewhere in their home. She set the photo album on the coffee table and shifted her thoughts to dinner; it was still early, but maybe she would make something homemade for dessert to pass the time.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Michael glanced at his watch for the umpteenth time as he paced restlessly in front of a long row of hard, plastic chairs. Christmas Eve was the wrong time to be picking up any kind of gift for Christmas because something always happened at the last minute. _It never failed, _he thought. He reached for his cell phone when it started to ring, flipping it open without bothering to check the caller ID because he knew who was on the other end.

"Hey, babe."

"Michael, where are you?"

He swore under his breath and punched the mute button when an announcement was made over the PA system. As soon as the speakers crackled, signaling the end of the untimely broadcast of information he un-muted the phone and hurried to speak. "Hey, I lost my signal for a minute," he lied, hoping she'd buy the explanation and not interrogate him about it. "What were you sayin'?"

"I asked where you are because I'm getting ready to start dinner and I wanted to know when you're gonna be home. It's Christmas Eve, Michael." She sighed and he could hear her fingernails drumming against the counter. "Can't this wait until after the holidays?"

Michael paused in his pacing when his gaze landed on the reason for his absence from his family on Christmas Eve. "I'm headed home now, babe; I'll be there in time for dinner. Love you. Bye." He disconnected the call before she could protest and shoved the phone in his pocket, his eyes never moving from the woman staring at him from six feet away.

She was one of the few people who had the ability to make him nervous despite the fact that he was a grown man. Guilt pricked at his conscience and he wondered how many of the worry lines around her eyes were his fault. _How many sleepless nights had she spent staring out into the night wondering where her daughter was and if she was safe?_ He hadn't appreciated the pain and suffering Amy DeLuca must have gone through over the past few years until he'd had a child of his own.

He loved Maria, he knew he made her happy, they had a great kid, and while he had his regrets about the way things had happened he would never regret Maria choosing him. He suddenly straightened up, his posture and expression both conveying confidence as he took a deep breath and took the first step.

Amy DeLuca stood still as she stared at the boy… alien… hybrid responsible for taking her only child from her. Despite the changes that time had made she could still see the defiant teenager that she had chased out of Maria's bed with a rolled up newspaper. She had boarded the plane in New Mexico, determined to face him without the feelings of anger and betrayal that had colored her thoughts where he was concerned since he had taken her daughter and gone on the run.

_You can do this, Amy,_ she thought as she watched him. When he suddenly straightened up and his expression changed, becoming more confident, more mature, she had no choice but to see that he was no longer a boy, but a grown man… her son-in-law… the father of her grandchild… the husband of her only daughter.

"I can take your bag for you," he offered, reaching for the only piece of luggage she had brought with her.

"No," she declined, taking a step back from him. "I'd rather carry it myself."

Michael bit back the angry response at her obvious retreat. It was the first time they had faced each other since he and the others had left Roswell, but a small part of him had hoped that the time that had passed since she had learned the truth about him would allow her to see past the fact that he wasn't completely human. "We should go then," he said tersely. "Maria's waitin'."

Amy studied him as they walked out to the car and she struggled to find something to talk to him about, some common ground that would keep them in neutral territory. She had visited with them in dreams courtesy of Isabel's abilities to get into people's minds and navigate their subconscious, but this was the first time she had been faced with Michael since she had learned the truth about him. She watched him as he leaned forward and inserted the key into the ignition and started the car; his hand rested over the gearshift for several long seconds before it dropped back to rest on his thigh, clenching into a tight fist as he turned to look at her.

"We've gotta clear the air before we go home," he said finally. "This kinda tension is only gonna upset Maria and Carey, and that wasn't my intention when I asked you to come here."

Amy felt the floodgates burst open when he suggested that they get it all out in the open. "You took my daughter from me, Michael! I trusted you with her and you took her without so much as speaking with me!"

As usual, he responded to being yelled at by going on the defensive and yelling right back. "Takin' the time to find you and explain what was goin' on could've put us all in danger! Your daughter is a stubborn woman and she wasn't about to let me leave without her. Do I regret that? No, I don't! What I do regret is that it went down the way it did, but if we had taken the time to find you and tell you what was goin' on, it could've put her in danger." He shook his head. "We can protect ourselves, but Maria doesn't have that advantage, and I'll be damned if I would've taken the risk of waitin' around to give you an' explanation when it could've potentially put her right into our enemies' hands."

Amy knew he was right, she could feel it, but she wasn't about to admit it. "You have no idea what it feels like to have someone take your child from you! To have no idea if she's safe, if she's hurt, or if she's happy… you have no idea, Michael!"

Michael sighed, hoping that once Amy had gotten everything off of her chest that they could act civilly towards each other. "No, you're right, I don't know. What I do know is that your daughter… my wife… is safe and she's happy. I know what I would do to protect my child and I can't imagine that it's all that different from what you'd do, Amy."

His use of her first name caught her attention and she lifted her gaze to his face, really looking at him for the first time since they had met at the gate. He had grown up, matured; he was a husband and a father now, and it was obvious that he took his responsibilities to his wife and son very seriously.

"You're one of the very few people who ever gave me a chance and I never intended to hurt you. If there had been any other way for us to leave…" He shook his head. "I don't suppose any of that matters now though, does it? Look, there's nothin' I can do to change the past; I can't take back any of the hurt, or the anger, or the betrayal that you must've felt over the last few years, all I can do is continue to be the best husband and father that I can be."

He cleared his throat and looked out through the windshield as he gathered his thoughts. "I asked you to come here because it would mean a lot to Maria to see you and to spend time with you, and because my son deserves to know his grandmother. I know how much Maria misses you, and I know that a lot of times she downplays what she needs to make sure that me and Carey have what we need. This is my chance to give her somethin' that can heal a part of her soul that only a mother can reach, but I know my wife, Amy, and if we walk through the front door like this she's gonna know there's a problem."

He sighed and turned his head to look at her. "Your daughter hasn't changed in that respect; she's like a damn dog with a bone when she knows something's wrong and she won't let it go until she's done her best to fix it."

Amy listened to him as he described her daughter's behavior, his tone colored by acceptance and love. Her gaze shifted to his left hand where it was resting on the steering wheel, her eyes tracing over the wedding band on his third finger. It was something that she had been able to overlook until now, but the fact was that he was married to her daughter and they had a child together. "Do you have any pictures of your family?" Her eyebrows shot up when he smiled and immediately reached for his wallet; it completely transformed his features and made him seem so much more approachable.

Michael pulled the most recent photograph of his family out of the protective plastic sleeve and handed it to Amy. "That was taken just a few weeks ago; I swear Maria carries a camera everywhere we go, but she always insists on having a family portrait done by a professional when the holidays come up."

"He's a handsome little boy, Michael."

"He is a good lookin' kid," he agreed, pride evident in his voice. "He's got a lot of Maria in him."

Tears blurred her vision as she looked at her daughter, seeing the love, happiness, and pride in the girl's… no, the _woman's_, expression. She would always be her daughter, but Maria wasn't a little girl anymore, she was a wife and a mother and while the circumstances weren't what she had wanted or even what she would have chosen for her, she could see that Maria had what she needed.

"I am sorry that we couldn't tell you the truth before we left, Amy. It had to be quite a shock to learn that your daughter had run off with a group of alien-human hybrids and that we were bein' hunted down by a special unit in the FBI."

Amy choked, clearly remembering the fear that had seized her when she had come back to Roswell, filled with regret over missing Maria's graduation. She had never expected to walk into the situation she had found herself in upon returning home; her daughter had been gone, vanished into the night. The town had been gossiping about what had happened at the high school and it had taken no time at all before the military had descended upon her home to interrogate her about Maria and her friends. Her fear had quickly turned to outright terror once she had read Liz's diary and the pages that Maria had filled at the end of her best friend's journal, just for her to read.

Her life had changed in an instant… it had never been the same and she had aged quickly; the nights were filled with nightmares and the days had stretched endlessly without any sign of relief in sight. Even talking with the Parkers, the Evans, and Jim Valenti… something that might have helped her to get a better grasp on the situation hadn't been possible due to the fact that they never knew who might be listening. The last few years had been so incredibly lonely for her.

"That was shocking and disturbing on too many levels to even think about now, but it was the fact that I trusted you and when I wasn't looking you took my little girl away from me. I know why you did what you did, Michael, but it hurt like hell when I found out about everything she had been through with you and for you before you had to run." She lifted her right hand, placing it against his cheek and turning his head so that he was looking at her. "I worried about both of you though; you've both been through so much and you've been alone."

Michael shook his head. "I haven't been alone since the moment Maria entered my life; it just took me a long time to realize it."

"You know what I mean, Michael." Amy smiled and handed the photograph to him, watching him as he carefully put it away. "I hope you know that if you ever need anything…"

"I know we could count on you to be there for us. But, if the people after us ever suspected that you knew anything it would put your life in danger too." He shifted the car into drive and pulled away from the curb, easing into the airport traffic. "Things have finally started to calm down and we've all been kinda settled for the past year; I don't know if it'll ever be safe enough for us to ever go home, but for now, we're safe."

"And happy?"

"Yeah." He shrugged. "Maria needs this, Amy. Hell, she's needed it for a long time, but we're finally at a place where the risk was minimal and I could rationalize it."

For the first time in years Amy felt happy and she couldn't help letting it show. "I'm so glad! I can't wait to see my daughter and my grandson!"


	6. Chapter 6

**Part 6**

Maria glanced up to check on Carradine as she finished peeling the last potato and dropped it into a large bowl of water. He was occupying his time by levitating the couch cushions and placing Hopper on one of them before sending it flying around the room.

"Mama?"

"Whatcha need, sweetie?"

Carradine carefully lowered the cushions back into place before turning to look at his mother. "When's Daddy comin' home?"

"He'll be home soon, Carey."

"He was 'posed to be home early," he mumbled. "He's gonna miss Santa."

"Daddy's not gonna miss Santa."

"He's gonna help put the reindeer cookies out, right, Mama?"

"Um-hmm." She turned her attention back to dinner when Carradine began to amuse himself with the cushions once more. He finally settled for one cushion and nearly lost control of it when Hopper flew through the air after a sharp turn and he ran to gather up the beloved creature. He was straightening back up, brushing his hand over the stuffed rabbit when he suddenly realized that his father had come inside. His eyes widened fearfully when he noticed the woman standing with Daddy and as he lost his concentration the cushion lost momentum and crashed into the lamp at the far end of the couch.

"Mama!" he screamed.

Michael scooped him up just as Maria ran into the room, her expression fearful. "Is he hurt?" she demanded, barely sparing a glance at the shattered remnants of the lamp. "What happened?"

"No, he's not hurt," Michael assured her as he rubbed Carradine's back. "He just had a little scare's all."

"What scared him?"'

"I brought someone home with me and – "

"Michael?"

He moved to the side and he smiled at the look of shock that settled over her features when she saw her mother standing there. For a solid minute the two women stared at each other and he dropped his hand from Carradine's back to touch Maria's shoulder. "Merry Christmas, Maria," he murmured when she looked at him.

His words broke the spell that had fallen over the room and in the next instant the two women were embracing and crying as they talked over each other. He shifted his attention to his little boy and he reached up to pry Carradine's arms from their death grip around his neck.

"C'mon, little man, it's okay." He leaned over to fix the lamp and clean up the mess before carrying Carradine into the kitchen. "Why don't we finish getting dinner ready, hmmm?" He glanced over the things lying on the counter and lifted the lids covering the pots on the stove.

"Who's her, Daddy?" Carradine whispered.

"That's your grandma, Carey."

"Mama's mommy? From the pictures?"

"Um-hmm." Michael looked around, mentally organizing what still needed to be done to finish dinner. His gaze settled on Carradine when he turned around and noticed his son creeping to the edge of the kitchen doorway so he could peer into the living room and watch the two women.

He was still clutching Hopper, unconsciously rubbing his chin against the soft, well-loved toy in a comforting manner.

"How come they keep makin' all that noise, Daddy?"

"Women always do that, Carey." He shrugged. "They're just happy to see each other 'cause it's been such a long time."

"Huh-uh," Carradine disagreed. "She's makin' Mama cry!" The little boy looked back at his father and he frowned when Daddy didn't go make Gramma stop doing whatever she was doing to make Mama cry.

"She's cryin' 'cause she's happy, little man." He chuckled when he saw the look of confused disbelief on his son's face. "I know, it sounds stupid, but women get very emotional about stuff like this and that's just how they… express themselves." Michael slung a dishtowel over his right shoulder and turned his attention to dinner while keeping an eye on his wife and mother-in-law. Carradine was starting to edge closer to the couch where the women had settled as they talked excitedly, studying their interaction as he tipped his head to one side.

Maria turned and motioned for Carradine to come to her. "Carey, c'mere, sweetie." She smiled when he took his time crossing the room, his gaze suspicious as he watched the woman beside her. She gathered him up in her arms and settled him in her lap, brushing her left hand over his unruly hair before shifting to face her mother. She wasn't surprised when he tucked Hopper under his chin and leaned against her, carefully averting his gaze so that he was staring at the couch instead of at his grandmother. "He's still shy around strangers."

"Whose fault is it that I'm a stranger?" Amy's gaze widened and her hand flew up to cover her mouth, horrified at the bitter question that had escaped unchecked. "I'm sorry, Maria, I didn't mean it!"

Maria swallowed hard and forced a smile when Carradine looked up at her. "Yes, you did, but it's okay, Mom, I understand, and you've got every right to be upset." She hugged her little boy tighter and smiled reassuringly at him. "Carey, I want you to meet your grandma; she came a long way to see us."

"Did Santa bring her?"

"No, Daddy brought her here for Christmas because Mama hasn't seen her in a long time and he knew it would make me happy." She stood up and set him down on the couch. "You stay here and behave yourself while I go speak to Daddy for a minute, okay?"

"Okay, Mama." Carradine slowly looked up at his grandmother. "Santa might bring me a puppy for Christmas. Daddy said if I asked the Santa at the store – he's not the real Santa, but he'll tell Santa an' he might bring me a puppy."

"Does that mean you've been good this year?" Amy asked, smiling at his enthusiastic statement.

"I been really good." He nodded. "You know some songs for Christmas?"

"Of course."

"Me too. Daddy teached me a new song." He plucked at Hopper's ears for several seconds before looking back up at Gramma. "You wanna hear it?"

In the kitchen Maria was wrapped tightly in Michael's embrace, needing a few moments to absorb the fact that her mother was actually sitting in her living room. "I can't believe you did this," she said quietly as she leaned back in his arms to look up at him. "Thank you."

Michael grinned smugly. "I got it right this year, huh?"

They turned to watch Carradine as he talked to his grandmother and Michael pulled Maria closer until she was settled against him once more. "Will you look at that," she whispered. "I never really thought I'd see the day, Michael."

"Uh, Maria…" Michael winced when he overheard Carradine's question. He knew Maria was so focused on the scene that she wasn't really paying any attention to the conversation going on between their son and his grandmother. "Maria, he's getting ready to – "

His warning was interrupted when Carradine launched into his childish version of _Grandma Got Run Over By a Reindeer_ and he felt Maria freeze in horror.

"This is not happening," she muttered. "Michael, do something!"

He nodded and left the relative safety of the kitchen, leaning over the couch to cover Carradine's mouth with one hand while using the other to scoop the little boy up. He cleared his throat as he met Amy's penetrating gaze, amazed at how easily she made him feel like a kid again.

"Charming song, Michael."

"Yeah," he hedged. "Well, Maria thought it'd balance out all the more traditional songs. We're uh, we're gonna go get washed up for dinner."

Amy chuckled when he hurried from the room and she reached out to pick up the stuffed toy Carradine had left behind.

"He'll be back for that before long," Maria said as she joined her mother once more.

"Doesn't go anywhere without it, huh?"

"It's not such a big deal when we go out now, but when we're at home he keeps Hopper close."

"Hopper." Amy smiled. "You had Mr. Whiskers, remember?"

Maria chuckled as she thought back to the stuffed toy she had dragged everywhere as a child. "That had to be the ugliest toy on the face of the earth."

Amy laughed and nodded in agreement. "It was ugly."

Maria looked up when she heard Michael getting Carradine settled at the table. "Have you eaten? I was putting dinner together when you got here."

"I'm starving! I was too nervous to eat anything on the flight."

They talked throughout dinner, catching up on each others' lives and talking about everything but the one thing that Maria could sense was simmering beneath the surface. She knew they needed to get it out in the open or it would only continue to build until it finally boiled over and turned their reunion into something ugly.

Michael was aware of the undercurrent flowing through the conversation and he knew it was only a matter of time before Maria forced the issue. She didn't like to avoid things like that and she would want to deal with it before it had the opportunity to build to unmanageable proportions. It was totally unrealistic considering the two women involved, but he had hoped to somehow avoid the confrontation that he knew was coming.

"I think Carey and I'll go for a walk," he said, watching his wife as she wiped Carradine's face and hands. He held a hand up when Maria started to speak. "Coat, hat, _and_ gloves… I know." He took one of his son's hands and helped the boy down off of his chair. "C'mon, Carey, before we get corralled into doin' the dishes."

Maria swatted his backside when Michael walked past her and then ducked to avoid him when he leaned down to kiss her. "Just for that, I'm leaving the dishes for you."

He just laughed and caught her chin so he could plant a kiss on her lips. "We'll be back in a little while, babe."

"You two be careful and don't stay out too long because it's cold out there." Maria leaned down to hug Carradine when he ran over to her. "And you make sure Daddy wears his hat and gloves too, you hear me?"

"Okay, Mama." He ran back over to his father. "Is it gonna snow, Daddy?"

"You really want that snow, don't you? Tell ya what; we'll check the weather when we get back, okay?"

Maria smiled as she listened to them bantering back and forth while they got dressed to go outside and a few minutes later she heard the front door close behind them. She stood and started clearing the table, not surprised when her mother began to help her. They worked in companionable silence for a while but as soon as the last dish had been placed in the dishwasher, they faced each other warily.

"I've wanted to see you face to face for so long, Mom. There have been so many times over the past few years when that need was so overwhelming that I felt like I couldn't breathe, but with circumstances the way they are, that hasn't been an option that was open to us. Having you here means more to me than I could ever tell you, and I know that you're upset about what happened, but I won't subject my husband and my son to this kind of tension, especially not at Christmas."

"He took you from your home, Maria! He took you away from me, and he didn't even have the courtesy of speaking with me first!" Amy had tried so hard to keep the feelings locked up, but there were so many feelings warring inside of her that she couldn't contain them any longer.

"Do you really think he doesn't have regrets over that, Mom? You're one of the few people he actually respects, but he didn't have a choice!"

"There's always a choice, Maria."

"Okay, fine, there was a choice; leave or be captured by agents who would've turned him over to government scientists for study, torture, and a slow, painful death. At least we know that's what they would've done to him and the others." She shook her head. "I don't have abilities like they do, but I was still involved with Michael, so we have no idea what they would've done to me."

"If you had just talked to me – "

"Mom, I know you're a very open-minded individual, but let's be honest; what do you really think you could've done?"

"I guess we'll never know, will we? He didn't give me the opportunity to – "

"Why are you putting all of this on Michael?" Maria shook her head again as she paced back and forth in front of her mother. "Do you know that he never intended for me to leave with them after graduation? He had every intention of leaving me in Roswell, Mom! At that point I hadn't been identified as being involved with the whole alien conspiracy. Michael tried to walk away and leave me because he knew I was the one who had the best chance to live a normal life, he put what he wanted and needed last on the list; hell, he even went so far as telling me goodbye and taking off."

"I just wanted so much for you, Maria," Amy said quietly. "I wanted you to be happy."

Maria could feel her control slipping. _Hadn't her mother seen how happy she was with her family and her life since her arrival a short while ago?_ She had to make her understand, and she had to get her off of Michael's back. "I am happy, Mom! Michael makes me happy; I chose that man a long time ago, well before we had government agents dogging our footsteps and shadowing our every move. I've been in love with him since the very beginning and I don't regret choosing to follow him – and that's exactly what it was, Mom, a choice… my choice. So, if you've gotta be mad at someone, you're gonna have to be mad at me because I'm the one that chose to leave."

Amy studied her daughter. She was so proud of the woman she had become, but she regretted not being able to be there for her and missing so many important moments in her life. "I always knew you would make a wonderful mother someday," she said finally, taking the first step towards building a bridge between them.


	7. Chapter 7

**Part 7**

Maria looked up from her conversation with her mother when the front door burst open and Michael and Carradine rushed inside. The little boy's declaration that he had won meant that they had been running through the hall, making as much noise as possible.

"How was your walk?"

"It was fun, Mama!" Carradine enthused, jumping around energetically while Michael tried to wrestle the coat off of him. "We seen a puppy!" As soon as his hat came off he broke free and ran across the room to share his information.

Maria pushed away from the comfortable cushions and caught Carradine when he ran around the couch and threw himself into her arms. She treasured every single hug from her little boy, painfully aware that it wouldn't be long before he started to exert his independence and these open displays of affection became something that embarrassed him. It was all part of the growing up process, but she wasn't in any hurry to rush it along.

She leaned back and ran her fingers through his messy hair, shaking her head when it just sprang right back into place. _Just like his father, _she thought with a smile.

"Anybody want anything?" Michael asked, heading into the kitchen for a cup of coffee. When he received negative replies he went on his way, listening to Carradine and Maria talking.

"An' he did tricks too, Mama! The lady, she told him to play dead an' he did this…" Carradine hurried to find a clear spot on the floor in front of the Christmas tree so he could lie down and stick his arms and legs straight up in the air. "But, he wasn't really dead, Mama."

"Well, that's good to know."

"What kinda dog was it, Carey?" Amy asked, amused by his antics.

"Um… it was a black kind." He dropped his arms and legs and tipped his head back when Daddy came back into the room. "Y'know what kinda dog it was, Daddy?"

"A black one," Michael answered with a shrug.

"That's my boys," Maria said with a fond smile as her husband sat down beside her.

"Is it gonna disturb you guys if I watch the news?" Michael nodded and reached for the remote on the coffee table when Maria assured him that it wouldn't bother them. He slouched down and his right arm automatically wrapped around her shoulders, tugging her closer until she settled against him.

Amy watched them, amazed by the way they still gravitated towards each other. She had witnessed it when they were teenagers, but as intense as their relationship had been she hadn't really expected it to last. The intensity was still there, but it was more balanced now and it didn't overshadow the other emotions.

She smiled when Carradine scrambled up onto the couch to wedge his little body in between his parents. He tugged on his mother's shirt to get her attention, motioning to Hopper and snuggling down as soon as the stuffed toy had been placed in his arms.

"Are we gonna make Santa's cookies, Mama?"

"Um-hmm, after Daddy watches the news, okay?" Maria turned her head to look at her mother. "Mom, d'you remember the recipe for those reindeer treats we used to make when I was a kid?"

Amy laughed. "I haven't thought about those in quite a while."

Carradine's eyes widened when he heard Mama's question. "The reindeers get treats, too?"

"Reindeer treats?"

Maria looked up at her husband's skeptical tone, knowing that so much of this was still new to him. He hadn't celebrated Christmas as a child; growing up with his foster father had quickly shattered any hope he'd harbored that Santa existed, that wishes came true, or that families really cared for each other. It had taken time, but at least now he no longer questioned whether or not families cared for each other, he knew it was true. He was still skeptical about wishes coming true, but instead of denying it outright he just rolled his eyes and let it go when she talked about things like wishing on stars.

"Well, you don't expect them to pull Santa's sleigh without having a few snacks along the way, do you?" Amy asked, unable to hide her humor as the matching expressions on Michael and Carradine's faces.

"Mama, can we make them reindeer snacks?"

"I suppose that depends on whether or not Grandma remembers how to make them."

Carradine crawled over Mama and dropped down off of the couch so he could run over to lean against the arm of the chair Gramma was sitting in. "You 'member how to make them reindeer snacks, Gramma?"

Amy felt the tears spring to her eyes as she looked down at her grandson. It was the first time Carradine had addressed her and it felt like he had just accepted her presence. "Yes, I think I do. We'll have to go see if your mommy has all of the ingredients."

He rolled his eyes. "Mama's got all them 'gredients," he assured her. "She makes real good food, too. You wanna go see for sure?"

"Sure." Amy stood up when he tugged on her hand. "I'm sure it'll come to me once I start looking through the seasonings."

"It's okay if you don't 'member 'em all, Gramma."

"You think so?"

"Uh-huh. Daddy says when people get old they don't 'member things real good, so it's okay."

"Oh, well, thank you, honey." She shot a glare at her son-in-law. "Your daddy's just full of helpful information, isn't he?"

"Daddy's real smart, but he says Mama's smarter than him," he confided as they walked towards the kitchen.

"Really? And why is that?"

"He said it's 'cause she didn't let him go." He wrinkled his nose and looked up at Gramma. "But he wouldn't tell me where she wouldn't let him go."

"You think I'm smarter than you, huh?" Maria teased, pulling her legs up on the couch and shifting so that her upper body lay across his lap.

Michael's dark eyes traced over her features as he played with the ends of her hair. "You've always been smarter than me," he admitted with a quiet smile. "We wouldn't be where we are today if it had been left up to me."

"We would've found a way, Michael." Maria threaded her fingers through his and pressed a kiss to his knuckles. "But I'm happy with the way things have gone."

"Daddy, Mama, we gotta make Santa's cookies," Carradine said insistently as he ran in to stand in front of them. "An' Gramma said we got all the stuff to make them snacks for the reindeers."

"Alright, buddy, go help Grandma get everything together and we'll be there in a minute."

Maria smiled as she listened to Carradine run across the floor, calling out to his grandmother that they could get started. "Thank you, Michael," she whispered. "This is the best Christmas I've ever had."

"You're welcome." He leaned down to kiss her gently. "I need you to cover for me while I run downstairs; I promised Mr. Crawford that I'd walk the pup one more time before the end of the night."

Maria smiled and sat up. "Okay, but hurry up. We've got cookies and snacks to make before we can get Carey off to bed."

"Right, reindeer treats." He snorted. "I suppose it's made out of a bunch of healthy stuff that I'm gonna be obligated to eat so that it looks like the reindeer munched on 'em?"

"The holidays are the one time of the year when my mom doesn't enforce the no junk food rule, so while you will have to eat the reindeer treats, you won't have to force them down."

"Alright, go keep Carey occupied so I can sneak away for a few minutes." He leaned down to kiss her once more before going to get his coat.

"Hat and gloves," she hissed.

"I'm goin' by myself, babe; Carey's not goin' with me, so no reason to wear stuff I don't need." As a rule he only wore the hat and gloves because it set a good example for their son, but all it took was one look from her and he was pulling them out of his coat pocket.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Carradine rushed to the doorway when Daddy stepped into the kitchen, grabbing his wrist and tugging him all the way inside. "Help me make the shapes, Daddy."

Michael picked Carradine up and set him on the chair that had been pulled up to the island in the center of the kitchen so he could participate in… He glanced around and grimaced at the flour and dough covering the surface of the island. "You're makin' quite a mess in here, little man."

"Huh-uh, Daddy, we're makin' the treats for Santa an' his reindeers." He tugged on Daddy's hand. "We gotta make the shapes so Mama can finish 'em."

"Let me check on Mama while you pick out the cookie cutters you wanna use, okay?" Michael glanced at Maria where she was conversing with her mother in low tones as they added the secret 'reindeer treat' ingredients to a mixing bowl.

Maria looked up when she heard Michael talking to Carradine and she frowned when she noticed how tired he looked. She knew she had been distracted by her mother's visit, but she was pretty sure that he hadn't looked so worn out just a little while ago. She moved around the island and reached up to frame his face in her hands, directing his gaze to hers with no effort. "Michael, you look exhausted."

He shrugged and leaned down to kiss her. "Just a little tired; it's been a long day." He gave her a reassuring smile. "Just put me to work, woman."

She studied his pinched features for several long minutes before she nodded and turned him back towards Carradine. "The dough's already rolled out, so you guys cut it into shapes and put it on the cookie pan. Once they're in the oven it's only gonna take a few minutes before they'll be ready to decorate and as soon as that's done we can get Carey ready for bed and then we'll put the cookies out right before we put him down for the night."

"Sounds like a plan," he agreed.

For the next hour they laughed and enjoyed the opportunity to just spend time together as they cut, baked, and decorated cookies. When the last cookie had been decorated and Maria and Amy were elbow-deep in soap suds as they cleaned up the mess they had made, Michael scooped Carradine up in his arms.

"I think you've got an appointment with a bath, little man."

"Aw, Daddy…"

"Aw, Carey," Michael mimicked, tickling the little boy into a fit of giggles as he carried him out of the room.

"Michael's very good with Carey," Amy remarked when she was left alone with her daughter.

"He's amazing with him; Michael's a wonderful father, Mom, and he's a great husband." She smiled. "I don't think that there's another man anywhere out there who could love me the way he does."

Amy chuckled. "Somehow, I don't doubt that, honey. You're very lucky to have each other. And, of course, it goes without saying that you're also very blessed to have such a beautiful, loving little boy."

They were just putting the last of the dishes away when Carradine shouted and nearly scared his mother and grandmother half to death.

"Mama, Mama, come see!" He ran into the kitchen and grabbed her hand, tugging insistently. "You too, Gramma, you gotta come see!"

Maria and Amy exchanged a quick glance when they stepped into the living room and he dropped his mother's hand to run back over to the window where Michael was standing, waiting for them. The reason for her husband's exhaustion made sense just as soon as he pulled the curtains back and motioned outside.

Fat snowflakes were falling from the grayish-white sky and a thin layer of white already covered the ground below. Michael picked Carradine up, settling him against his left side so the little boy could reach out and place his hand against the cold window pane.

"Look at the snow, Mama," he whispered.

"I see it, sweetie," Maria said quietly, but her eyes were locked with her husband's as she reached up to cup his stubborn jaw. She kissed him softly. "I love you."

Close by, Amy was watching them once more and her heart clenched in her chest when she heard Michael repeat the quiet declaration, the words heartfelt and full of emotion. _Maybe the situation wasn't ideal, _she thought, _but her daughter had everything she needed._ A man who loved her, a little boy who adored her, and she was happy. What more could a mother ever want for her daughter?


	8. Epilogue

**Epilogue**

Carradine's eyes shot open early the next morning and he jumped out of bed, scurrying out of his room and running down the hall to the living room. He slid to a stop in front of the Christmas tree, his eyes opening wide as he stared at the brightly-wrapped presents practically bursting from beneath the tree. He scrabbled around for a few minutes, touching everything he could reach as his little hands plucked at the name tags on the gifts. _His name was on almost every single one of them!_

He jumped up and ran over to check the plate left out with Santa's cookies and the reindeer treats, laughing with glee when he saw that the glass of milk was empty and only a few crumbs remained on the plate. He clapped his hands together and hurried back to the hall so he could get Mama and Daddy. _He had to tell them that Santa had stopped at their house!_ He turned around when he heard the front door unlocking and he peered around the doorway, surprised to see Gramma coming inside.

He was momentarily distracted when she carried a small box into the kitchen, but a quick glance at the Christmas tree reminded him of his goal and he took off running to his parents' bedroom. He reached up and turned the doorknob, throwing his weight against the door and stumbling inside when it swung open; his grip on the knob was the only thing that kept him from falling on the floor and he quickly righted himself and ran over to the bed.

_They were both asleep,_ he realized. He grabbed hold of Daddy's hand and tugged on it but that only made Daddy roll over on his back and Carradine laughed when Daddy's mouth dropped open and he started making the loud noise.

"Michael…"

Carradine covered his mouth with both hands when he heard Mama's sleepy voice and a moment later he saw her reach out and give Daddy a good shove. The little boy couldn't contain his giggles when she pushed Daddy again and he rolled over towards her, wrapping his arm around her and falling silent once more.

He suddenly realized that they weren't getting up and if they didn't get up, he couldn't unwrap presents. _Well, that wouldn't do at all!_ He ran around to Mama's side of the bed and latched onto her hand since it was hanging off of the edge of the bed. He tugged on it several times, losing his grip on the last attempt and falling backwards to land on his backside.

Frustrated at their lack of response he ran to the end of the bed and scrambled up onto the wooden trunk, grabbing onto the footboard and hauling himself over to land on the bed. He ran up and pounced on them, shouting at the top of his young lungs, "Mama! Daddy! Santa came! Santa came!" He pushed against their shoulders, certain that they were never gonna get up when they suddenly grabbed him and started tickling him. He screamed and squealed, laughing and squirming around as he tried to get away. He finally broke free and sat at the end of the bed, grinning at them triumphantly as he basked in the knowledge that he had escaped.

He crawled back up between them, grabbing their hands and tugging on them. "Santa came! You gotta come see!"

Maria pulled him closer and hugged him and kissed his cheek before releasing him. "Merry Christmas, sweetie."

"Yeah, Merry Christmas, little man," Michael growled, ruffling his son's hair as he kissed his other cheek.

"Daddy," Carradine complained as he giggled, "you're all scratchy."

Michael laughed and his right arm snaked around the little boy, tumbling him to the mattress and rubbing his whiskered cheek against Carradine's exposed belly when his pajama shirt rode up.

Maria watched her boys, enjoying their laughter as they roughhoused and wrestled on the bed. They carried on for several minutes before Carradine suddenly remembered why he had come in to wake them. He jumped up unexpectedly and she just barely managed to pull him back before he accidentally kneed his father in the groin. She bit back the smile that surfaced when Michael automatically curled up to protect himself, releasing a relieved breath when the expected impact never materialized.

He scooped Carradine up and lifted him over the side of the bed, letting him go once his feet were on the floor. "Why don't you go see if Grandma's ready to open presents, little man?"

"What about you an' Mama?"

"We'll be there in just a few minutes, Carey." Michael flopped back against the pillows and turned his head to look at his wife. "Thanks for the save; that would've seriously ruined Christmas mornin'."

Maria leaned over him and pressed a soft kiss against his lips. "Carey's right," she whispered with a smile, "you're all scratchy."

"Mama, Daddy, c'mon!" Carradine's impatient voice traveled from the living room and a moment later he ran back to stand in their doorway. "Gramma said she gots breakfast snacks so you gotta come an' eat."

Michael shook his head when their son turned and ran back to the mountain of presents waiting to be torn open. "He's not just gonna play with the boxes this year, right?" he asked.

Maria patted his arm in a consoling gesture. "I think he's old enough to have more interest in the toys this year. Although, I think once he gets his hands on that puppy he's gonna forget about everything else anyway."

"Did Carey say your mom made breakfast?" His stomach rumbled in response to that thought and he laughed when Maria shoved his shoulder. "C'mon, woman; I'm hungry and I'm tired after sittin' up half the night puttin' toys together and wrappin' gifts."

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Amy was setting a plate of fresh, warm croissants on the coffee table when they came into the living room a few minutes later. She disappeared and returned with two cups of coffee that she placed next to the plate and then she hugged both of them, wishing them a Merry Christmas before turning them loose. She chuckled when Michael targeted the food and snatched up one of the croissants with a chocolate center, dousing it with the Tabasco sauce she had remembered at the last minute.

"You ran down to the bakery around the corner," Michael said as he washed the first bite down with a swallow of coffee.

She nodded. "How did you know?"

He smiled and held the croissant up. "Rene's shop is the only one in the neighborhood that makes these an' Maria only let's us have 'em on special occasions."

Carradine was just about ready to start bouncing off of the walls as he hopped up and down in front of the Christmas tree, little fingers itching to tear into all of the pretty packages.

His parents glanced at each other and smiled before settling down together on the couch and Michael nodded at the little boy. "Go for it, buddy."

For the next hour they watched as Carradine tore into the gifts, shredded paper gathering into piles as he moved around the tree. He would pause after opening each gift, playing with the toys for a few minutes before moving on to the next package. He was wearing the hockey jersey over his pajamas as he ripped the paper off of yet another box.

Michael glanced up when Carradine suddenly snatched something up and ran across the room, leaning against his left leg as he handed it to him. "What's this?"

"Santa musta thought you been good too, Daddy."

His fingers played over the edges of the envelope and he turned to look at Maria. "Santa thinks I've been good this year, huh?"

Maria leaned against his shoulder and stretched up to kiss him. "I don't know what Santa's thoughts are, but I do know what I think." She nudged him with a smile. "Open it."

Carradine quickly lost interest in the envelope and he ran back to start his attack on the wrapped gifts under the back side of the tree.

Michael slid his fingers under the edge of the seal and tore it open, reaching inside to remove the card and open it up. He set the envelope aside as he stared at the tickets carefully placed inside, his fingers brushing over them reverently. "Maria, these are… they're…" He glanced at her and shook his head. "A whole week?"

Maria smiled at his less than articulate response and nodded. "You've been saying that you'd like to spend some time where it's warm; sea, sun, sand…" She grinned up at him. "And maybe something else that starts with an S… Max and Liz are in Florida, and they can keep Carey for a little while so we can have some time for the two of us."

His thumb traced along the edge of the tickets. They hadn't really spent any time alone since Carradine had been born. _Was it selfish to want that for a little while?_

"I love you for questioning it, Michael, but it's not selfish."

He turned his head to look at Maria, smiling in response to the expression of reassurance on her face. "Was it that obvious?"

Maria laughed quietly and nodded. "I've thought the same thing, and the truth is we'll probably be the ones having a difficult time leaving him with Max and Liz; Carey will be so excited about spending time with them and his cousin that he'll forget all about us." She kissed him. "For a little while at least; there's nothing wrong with us wanting to spend some time alone without our little boy underfoot."

Michael smiled and nodded. "Thank you, I love it."

"You're welcome." She motioned to Carradine when she noticed how engrossed he was with one of the toys, investigating all of its moving parts. "You should sneak away while he's so occupied and get the puppy."

"Okay."

Amy saw Michael stand up and creep out of the room and she kept her grandson busy when he started to turn away to show his parents the toy. It was only a couple of minutes before Michael returned and settled back down beside Maria. She knew they had planned to put the puppy in a large gift box and leave it right outside the door and then knock on the coffee table to announce its arrival, letting the little boy answer the door and find the present.

She hid a smile when a knock sounded at the front door and her son-in-law looked down at his right hand in surprise. Maria looked at him and he shrugged, shaking his head as he shifted, intending to stand so he could go and answer the door.

"Who's here, Daddy?"

"Uh…"

Before he could answer a hearty _Ho, ho, ho_ sounded from the other side of the door and he exchanged a shocked look with his wife. Maria shook her head, clueless about what was going on and she stood as well. Carradine scrambled to his feet and ran to the front door with his parents right behind him.

Michael pulled the front door open and his mouth fell open in shock when he saw the man crouching down next to the large present on the floor. The red velvet suit and hat trimmed with white fur, the wide black belt circling an ample waistline, cheeks flushed red, a long white beard, and rectangular wire-rimmed glasses perched on the end of his nose all indicated that their visitor was old Saint Nick himself.

"Daddy," Carradine whispered, his hand fisted tightly around a handful of his father's shirt, "it's Santa Claus."

"The elves tell me you've been a very good little boy this year, Carey," the large elf said with a broad smile.

Carradine crept closer to him and reached out to grasp a handful of the long beard, giving it a couple of good tugs. He stepped back after a moment and glanced up at Mama, taking her hand and pulling on it to get her attention. "Mama, it's really him!"

"I see that, sweetie." Maria had no idea what was going on and it was obvious by her husband's slack-jawed expression that he was completely clueless as well.

Santa tapped on the box and smiled at the look of awe on the little boy's face. "You should take this inside, young man. I believe you've been waiting for it. It was just too special to bring down through the chimney." He stood and held a small package, wrapped in brightly-colored paper out to Michael. "I do hope you'll forgive an old elf for being a few years late, Michael." He smiled gently, faded blue eyes twinkling merrily behind his glasses when the younger man reached out to tug on his beard. "It's never too late to believe in the magic of Christmas."

Michael was still trying to process the past few minutes when the old elf turned to walk away, a spring in his step as he called out another "Ho, ho, ho!" and a "Merry Christmas!" and then disappeared down the stairs at the end of the hall.

"Daddy, I can't move the present," Carradine said, tugging on Daddy's hand to get his attention.

"Michael." Maria nudged him, breaking his trance as he stared after Santa Claus, and motioned to their son. "He needs help getting Santa's present inside."

"Right." He handed the oddly-shaped package to Maria and then leaned down to pick up the box, following his wife and son back inside the apartment. He carried the box into the living room and placed it on the floor in front of the Christmas tree.

"Who was at the door?" Amy asked. She had watched them from the door and Michael looked like he was in shock as he moved back to the couch to sit down.

"It was Santa, Gramma! He came to bring more presents! He even brought Daddy one!"

"He did?" She glanced at her son-in-law as he turned the package over and over in his hands, his confusion evident. "Why, yes he did. You should go open yours now."

Carradine ran back over to the large box and ripped the paper off, unaware that the lid on the wrapped box could have been lifted off without tearing the paper off. He jumped back when the lid lifted and then dropped back down but his curiosity quickly had him reaching for it. He pushed it up and off and his excited squeals and laughter filled the room as he lifted the puppy out of the box and hugged it to his little body.

"Mama! Daddy! Look what Santa brought me!" He was barely aware of his parents' voices as he played with the puppy, giggling when it wiggled around and licked his face.

"Are you gonna open it?" Maria asked, her hand resting on her husband's shoulder. He was staring at the small package, his fingers following the creases in the paper as he turned it over in his hands.

"Huh?" Michael glanced at her. "Oh, yeah… yeah, I'm gonna… I'm gonna open it." His fingers slid under the taped edges, carefully lifting them up one by one until they were all sticking up. He unfolded the flaps and lifted the plastic package with the cardboard back up, staring at the figurine inside in disbelief.

"What is it, Daddy?" Carradine asked, handing the puppy to Mama as he crawled up to sit on the couch between his parents. He quickly reached for his new pet, cradling the animal in his arms as he reached up to grasp one edge of the thing Daddy held.

"It's um…" Michael cleared his throat and glanced at Maria helplessly. "It's somethin' I asked Santa for when I was little." The Han Solo action figure with weapon had been the one toy that he had dared to ask for and it hadn't showed up on Christmas morning. Nothing had shown up on that Christmas morning or any of the ones that had followed until Maria had come into his life.

"I think I'll go start breakfast now," Amy said as she stood and went into the kitchen.

"I should go give her a hand." Maria kissed her husband and son before following her mother. "How did you do that?" she asked as soon as she was alone with the other woman.

Amy smiled as she reached for the carton of eggs. "I ran into him when I was coming back from the bakery and I couldn't resist. I hope you don't mind?"

Maria shook her head. "No, of course not! Did you see Michael's expression? But, where did you find that toy?"

"_You_ found that toy," Amy said. "It came in the mail a few weeks after you left; I didn't understand the significance of it until one of our conversations a couple of years ago. When Michael contacted me about this trip I had to find it so I could bring it with me; I hope you don't mind that I had Santa give it to him."

"No, the look on his face was sooo worth it." Maria threw her arms around her mother's neck and hugged her tightly. "Thank you, Mom."

They spent the day relaxing and talking, watching Carradine as he played with the puppy and played with his toys. Michael decided to make dinner to give Maria and Amy some time to spend together and talk about the things that he had no interest in talking about, or hearing about, since some of those things were sure to include him.

As early evening settled over the apartment, lit only by the fire crackling in the fireplace and the twinkling lights on the tree, Amy settled down in the chair to look at her family. Michael and Maria were dozing lightly in the corner of the couch and Carradine had fallen asleep more than an hour earlier, comfortably wedged in between them. The puppy, that had aptly been named Snow by his new master, was stretched out, his nose buried in the crook of the little boy's neck, worn out just like Carradine.

She was convinced that her daughter was happy and she knew that when it was time to go home again she wouldn't be burdened by the concern that had weighed so heavily on her when she had left home the day before. Her daughter had grown into a strong woman, she had a beautiful little boy, and she had the love of a man who would do anything to keep her safe and happy.

The End – For This Christmas Anyway!

7


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